1

CHAPTER

1822

Charles Babbage

formulates his

design for the

Difference Engine

1842-1843

Augusta Ada Byron

earns her

designation as the

first computer

programmer with

her notes on the

Analytical Engine

1844

Samuel F.B. Morse

successfully

transmits a

telegraph message

across a wire from

Washington to

Baltimore

1854

George Boole’s

famous paper “An

Investigation of the

Laws of Thought” is

published

1858

The first

transatlantic

telegraphic

communication

takes place

1868

Christopher Sholes

creates the

QWERTY keyboard

for the early

typewriter

com·put·er\kɘm-pyootɘr\ n. often attrib(1646): one that computes;

specif: a programmable electronic device that can store, retrieve, and

process data^1

What a brief definition for something that has, in just a few decades,
changed the way of life in industrialized societies! Computers touch all
areas of our lives: paying bills, driving cars, using the telephone, shopping.
In fact, it might be easier to list those areas of our lives in which we do
notuse computers. You are probably most familiar with computers
through the use of games, word processors, Web browsers, and other ap-
plications. Be forewarned: This book covers more than just using com-
puters. This text teaches you how to program them.

(^1) By permission. From Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, tenth edition © 1994
by Merriam-Webster Inc.
By permission of Johnny Hart and Creators Syndicate, Inc.